using rfid in the marketing of wv feeder cattle ronnie helmondollar wvu extension service

Using RFID in the Marketing of WV Feeder Cattle

Ronnie Helmondollar

WVU Extension Service

WV Marketing history

• Small part-time farmers

• Commingled calf sales started in 1932

• USDA implements Grades for Feeder Cattle in 1979

• Marketing Pools

• Pre-vac Weaning programs

• RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)

WHY RFID?

• NAIS• Value added• There had to be an

easier way!!• Can we do it?

Software

• Spreadsheet

VS

• Database

Locations

Barbour County Jackson County

Getting started

Weighing Process

• Jackson Co

Sex #hd Time (hours) #hd/hr

Steers 667 7.18 92.8

Heifers 459 5.28 86.8

Weighing Process

• Barbour Co

Sex #hd Time (hours) #hd/hr

Steers 341 4.15 82.2

Heifers 181 2.46 73.6

Load Processing

• Jackson Co

Sex # loads Time (hours)

Steers 8 2.85

Heifers 6 1.37

Load Processing

• Barbour Co

Sex # loads Time (hours)

Steers 4 1.08

Heifers 2 0.3

Observations

• The ability to electronically read and edit animal identification at receipt greatly improved the weighing process.

• Tag retention was not a problem. Only six RFID tags needed to be replaced.

Observations

• RFID technology eliminated misread tags and reduced worker effort to read dirty tags in a moving animal.

• The time required to weigh and process calves at take-up was reduced of the previous year.

2006

• 6500 claves will marketed utilizing this system

Questions ???